If This Was Real
by AReiss215
Summary: Under the stress of Zoom and Earth 2, Barry and Caitlin decide to go on a friendly night out during Valentines Day, only to find out that there seemed to be more to it just being a "friendly night out". And that's when the question was asked "If this was real..."


**_A/N: What's up guys!? It's been a good amount of time since I published anything and I apologise for that. I went through a huge writers block over the summer and right now life is a little hectic with college and all. I can't promise frequent pieces but here is one finally. It's been in the works for awhile and I'm glad it's complete. I want to give a big shout out to really good friend of mine, GustInAFlash for beta-reading it as well as editing it, making it that much more entertaining for y'all to read! Anyway enough chatter! Enjoy this one shot!_**

Valentine's Day, the day when people celebrate the great phenomenon known as love. For many people, they take this time to show their appreciation towards their significant other, or that one special person who doesn't know how special they really are to that one person. For Team STAR Labs however after a series of breakups and loss of loved ones, it seems like the day's relevance has really just vanished. Barry with his break up with Patty, Caitlin with the apparent loss of Jay who had fooled her with his actual identity and Cisco with the tragic parting with Kendra due to an unexplainable actuality known as destiny.

With Zoom still a threat, not only to the team more so Barry; and his presence posing a constant state of danger to the residence of Central city – the city Barry has made his mission to protect even if he ends up getting himself killed in the process of protecting said city, love and the appreciation of love hasn't really been the main focus of Team STAR Labs. After a day of rescuing citizens and stopping petty crimes, Barry routinely flashed out of his suit, placing it back onto the steel mannequin and back into his everyday work clothes. Cisco had gone home early to get ready for his date leaving Caitlin to close up shop with Barry.

Caitlin was packing up her things into her bag while Barry sat on one of the desks on his phone switching glances between his phone and Caitlin. Looking through his Facebook timeline, seeing all his co-workers and friend's annual "How much I love you" none personal declaration of love to their significant others, rolling his eyes and laughing silently to himself at every single declaration that ended with the same three words of "I Love You". _How lame_ he thought as he slid his thumb up to scroll but deep inside him he knew he was envious. Compared to his, their lives seemed so simple and peaceful but really what could he do; he loved being the Flash and helping these people live those simple and peaceful lives was his passion.

Noticing there was a silence in the Cortex; Barry looked up at Caitlin from across the room, a neutral expression on her face, the joy that she used to follow her around far from present these days. He couldn't blame her though especially after all the hurt and heartbreak she has faced over the last couple of years.

"All of these are so cliché" he spoke up breaking the silence of the Cortex.

"What's cliché?" Caitlin asked as she put her navy blue buttoned jacket on. Her voice sounding a bit tired but maintained a calm and kind tone.

"These Facebook posts, not that I should be surprised though, I'm not saying I am a poet or anything but I could've done better than "Your love is like the sun! You light up my whole world"." Barry spoke dramatically sitting up from the desk and putting away his phone to put on his jacket.

"That's actually really sweet! Also don't act like you wouldn't have said something like that!" Caitlin giggled at the cuteness of the phrase.

"I'm not that much of a hopeless romantic Cait." Barry laughed walking beside her as they left the Cortex, their voices slightly echoing throughout the empty hallways.

"Please! You would've said something sappy like "You flashed into my heart!"." Caitlin returned laughingly rolling her eyes at Barry slinging her bag onto her shoulder.

"Well actually I wouldn't have, because that would reveal my secret identity or made me out to be a fanboy of the Flash." He hit back at her with a smug smile on his face "But I don't really know if I would say something as corny as that. I mean it's been a while since I've actually had a date on Valentine's Day". He shrugged placing his hands into his pockets suddenly feeling the chill of STAR Labs.

"Well I'm not doing any better than you so I guess, I can't say anything either." Caitlin told him as they approached the exit, Barry walking a little faster than Caitlin to hold the door open for her followed by a dramatic "After you Doctor Snow" swooping his arm out, motioning for her to exit the building first which earned him a "So chivalrous of you Mr. Allen" from Caitlin who giggled passing him by.  
A moment of calm passed as they walked side by side down the stone steps and towards the main road.

"You know you didn't have to wait for me." Caitlin spoke as they reached a crossing. Barry pressed the button as they waited for the green signal to illuminate, informing them that it is safe for them to cross. "You could've just flashed home." She slightly pouted her lips curious as to why Barry stayed with her.

"I just think that things have been moving so fast with Zoom and Earth 2, that I figured that I should take a slow stroll every once in a while." Barry sighed as he gave his reason, the subject of Zoom and Earth 2 always seemed to bother him, like an underlying feeling of sadness, pressure and an instant gloomy atmosphere would come over him whenever it was spoken of and really it wasn't just him. The whole team was affected by the subject. Barry noticed Caitlin put her head down at the mention of Zoom, probably playing back bad and regretful memories of Hunter in her life. "Plus its Valentine's Day, there's nothing really to rush home for." He breathed in the spring air and smiled at her in order to relieve her of those memories. _Good job Barry you just had to bring up Zoom_ , he cursed at himself.  
"Do you have any plans tonight?" Barry asked her changing the subject to lighten the mood. Caitlin looked up at him as he caught her attention.

"Nothing really, probably some Thai food and finish reading my e-book, besides it's not like I would have a date after all that's has happened." Caitlin told him shrugging at the idea of having any actual plans. "What about you?"

"Probably a couple of pizzas and a movie with Joe, nothing special or what I should really say is no one particularly special" Barry told her nonchalantly as they soon arrived at the city centre where it was brightly illuminated by different types of fairy lights, restaurants booming, crowded by people on dates or trying to make their reservation on time, along with all the heart themed decorations, people carrying baskets of chocolates and flowers, to tempt the oh-so-loved-up couples to buy, as they stare lovingly across the table at each other while having a Valentine's day dinner.  
"Sounds like fun." She replied with a little giggle. Barry never ceased to make her laugh or smile when times were tough; she knew he would always be there for her.

"Yeah well it sounds like we're in our forties! And with me carrying a handkerchief around all the time doesn't help our said cause either" He joked as they reached the point of their journey where they would diverge into different courses to go home.

"Here's my stop! Thanks for walking me home I guess!" Caitlin turned to Barry, giving him a hug for goodbye.

"Yeah no problem..." He put his arm around her pulling her in, their hug lasting longer than it usually would. Barry and Caitlin closed their eyes for a moment - At that moment a sense of safety, peace and tranquillity came over them. Maybe it was because they always found comfort in each other or the fact they shared the loss of loved ones but they always had this emotional tie. One that was more than friendship yet not familiar to each other. It was unlike their bond with Cisco, who to both of them was like their brother. It was different. They pulled away Caitlin's hand sliding down Barry other arm, as they smile and nod at each other before Caitlin turned and walked towards her apartment complex.  
Barry watched her as the distance between them got further and further. Suddenly he was then reminded of what Cisco had talked to him about earlier that day...

 _"Hey Barry, can I talk to you for a sec?" Cisco called from his computer in the Cortex, catching his attention. Caitlin had just left to get some lunch and coffee which she said she was in need of and so Cisco thought it was the perfect opportunity for them to talk one on one._

 _"It's about Caitlin..." Cisco told him with a serious tone, one that he usually wouldn't have seen on Cisco unless a situation was dire._

 _"What about her?" Barry knotted his eyebrows curious to hear what his friend had to say about her.  
_

 _"It's just that she's been a bit distant...working a lot, quiet...colder..." Cisco slowly let the words flow out of his mouth.  
_

 _"Cisco I thought we talked about this already..." Barry rolled his eyes, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. Earth 2 and the events there were quite the sensitive subject between them all which is the main reason they all agreed not talk about the subject again once they got home; something Cisco has struggled with ever since there return whereas Barry preferred not to remind himself about it because it only brought him guilt with the thought of letting a world like that be in the hands of Zoom, where he is free to terrorise a whole world whenever he feels like it, while he's here unable to help them.  
"No. This isn't about Killer Frost. It's just I don't like seeing her so worked up all the time. We've been so focused on Zoom and stuff that I never see her have fun anymore." Cisco explained waving his hands to indicate that it was nothing about their past conversation about Killer Frost and how Caitlin acted after "Jay's" death.  
_

 _"Cisco, I know you're concerned about Caitlin but she's fine and we're all under stress." Barry reassured him, speaking in a very soft and calming tone.  
_

 _"That's not what I'm trying to get at...Listen Barry, it's Valentine's Day and I was kind of thinking that maybe you could..." Cisco took a deep breath, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times unable to get the words out, a bit afraid of how Barry would react to his request.  
_

 _"Maybe I could what?" Barry stood up straight, his arms folded in front of him. His eyebrows furrowing as he awaited Cisco to finish his words.  
_

 _"If you could I don't know ask her to go out...as friends of course or talk to her, just to take some of the stress away!" Cisco blurted quickly, grinning nervously.  
_

 _"Wait, are you telling me that I should ask Caitlin out on a date? Do you even hear yourself right now?" Barry narrowed his eyes with a sceptical smile on his face.  
_

 _"Dude, it doesn't have to be a date! You can go as friends! Like a night out! Like...umm...that time when you guys went to the dive bar and sang karaoke!" Cisco argued trying to make things sound less awkward than is current topic of conversation is, waving his hands frantically in front him and clicking his fingers as he emphasised his point.  
_

 _"To be clear, that was a reconnaissance mission...which kind of got out of hand...But it's not like I wouldn't go on a night out with Caitlin, which brings up the question…Why only me and not us?" Barry explained his side of the story which lead to him thinking why only him, what is wrong with the three of them going out and having fun as a group.  
_

 _"Well… you know... I didn't want to brag." Cisco leaned back on his chair crossing his arms with a smug smile on his face before continuing. "Ya boy, actually scored a date this Valentine's Day! Some Giovanni's for dinner with some Netflix and chill on the side. Boom! Hit it!" Cisco smugly put his fist out for Barry to fist bump. Barry lifted his eyebrows and nodded his head, internally proud of his friend. "Don't leave me hanging dude, and my arm is getting tired so if you don't mind" Cisco told him._

 _"Good for you man I guess. I'm proud of you. Let's hope it's not another reincarnated Egyptian warrior priestess." Barry finally brought his fist to meet Cisco's and joked; Cisco laughing with him. "So this night out with Caitlin...I don't know, I'll think about it. We all could really use some time to sit back and relax to be honest. You're offer may seem plausible after all." Barry cleared his throat as he returned to matters at hand, smiling as he realises maybe going on a night out with Caitlin maybe something nice for them. A change of scenery for a night..._

Barry smiled to himself and shook his head before calling Caitlin making her stop in her tracks and turning around to see him jogging towards her. "Is something wrong?" She asks him unsure why he would stop her.

"No..um..nothing's wrong…I was just wondering..considering that both of us don't have any proper plans, how do you feel about going out tonight? A friendly hang out?" Barry asked her rubbing the nape of his neck, feeling a little nervous about his offer.

"Um…I guess…yeah sure! But can I change first? These heels are kinda killing me now." Caitlin happily accepted his invitation as she thought there was nothing wrong with going out with Barry. Her e-book could wait another day when she is spending her evenings alone in her apartment once again.

After a quick change of wardrobe for Caitlin into a more comfortable pair of skinny jeans, a long sleeve shirt and boots, which surprised Barry at how fast she did so, they found themselves out walking around on the city streets.

"So where are we going?" Caitlin asked her companion, wondering where their night out could lead them.

"We are going to one of my favourite places in Central City." Barry told her as they took a right turn to arrive at their destination.

"Bernie's Family Diner and Bowling" Caitlin read the bright neon lit sign in front of a large colourful building as they entered the premises. As soon as they did they were greeted by the sound of modern pop music, the welcoming smell of fried food, chatter from the families and couples eating there as well as the diminished thump of bowling balls consecutively landing on the floor and knocking down pins coming from the other side of the diner. After finding a booth to sit in, a kind waitress probably in her forties approached them giving them menus to order from.

"What's good here?" Caitlin was biting her lower in thought as she read over the menu items. All of which sounded great.

"Would it be helpful if I said everything?" Barry joked looking over his menu to see Caitlin roll her eyes at him but also giving him a smile which made follow suit. "Well if I could condense it into a few menu items, which pains me to do so, I'd have to say the chicken cordon bleu, the "Central City Style" burger or the "Flash Special" burger." He confidently pointed out his best dishes, smirking at the mention of the last one.

"Of course you'd recommend the one named after you." She quietly responded knowing anyone could be listening in to their conversation, followed by a sarcastic laugh. They soon placed their orders and received their food, Barry ordering a chicken cordon bleu and a "Flash Special" burger with a side of chilli cheese fries and Caitlin getting a grilled chicken sandwich with some cajun seasoned fries.

"Barry, How are you doin' man?" In the midst of their meal, a deep jolly voice called out to Barry who immediately wiped his mouth and stood up to give what looked to Caitlin to be one of the cooks a pound hug.  
The man was tall with dark skin, estimably around Joe's age, wearing a red polo shirt with black slacks, a white cook's cap on his head.

"Nothing much Bernie - Just being me, ya know sciencey stuff." Barry greeted him friendly.

"That's great. Are you sure science is the only thing you've been up to because it looks like you're having a little date going on." Bernie laughed noticing Caitlin sitting quietly at the table.

"Oh this is Caitlin, my friend." Barry introduced her, Caitlin shaking his hand and smiling at the older man.

"A friend huh? Got me excited there for a moment! Here I thought you were gonna be the first date Barry brought here! Well I hope you guys are having a good time and I gotta go. Those burgers ain't gonna cook themselves. Nice seeing you Barry and it was a pleasure meeting you Caitlin." And with that Bernie returned to the kitchen, leaving Barry and Caitlin back to their own devices.

"That was uh Bernie! One of Joe's best friends, we used to come here all the time when we were younger so he's like family to us." Barry informed her to which she nodded in understanding. A small smile crept up on her face as she listened to him reflect on those good memories. She liked how they could speak with each other so freely. She thought it was nice to see Barry smile and be relaxed once in a while and she was happy to be there.

"So Dr Snow... are you up for a game or two?" He asked pointing over his shoulder at the lanes, knowing he would totally get on her competitive side.

"You're on Allen." Caitlin stated smirking confidently as they head across the diner to the bowling alley. After acquiring some shoes and setting up the machine, they competed against each other to which Caitlin would fail to win against a veteran bowler in the form of Barry.

"I call for a rematch!" Caitlin called out at Barry who was in a small fit of laughter.  
"But this is like our third one. I told you that I was good." Barry replied to her, eating a nacho chip as he did.

"Well we can have a fourth one!" Caitlin demanded, when suddenly Bernie came on the intercom and announced that the Valentine's Day Couple's Bowling Tournament would begin and that all contestants should sign up now. At first they really didn't know what to say because they weren't a couple but with some small talk between them and a little convincing from Bernie they decided to go on ahead and take the challenge, besides it was all for fun. They easily beat the young couples and older ones too, them celebrating with high fives after every turn but it was when Caitlin hit her final strike to seal the win when things between Barry and Caitlin would become different.

Caitlin suddenly jumped into Barry's arms to hug him, their faces merely inches from each other's. At that moment Barry would recall the time when he spoke to Caitlin about how he loved being the Flash when he lost his powers to Blackout; that brief moment before Cisco came into the room; that moment when Caitlin came closer to him and he watched her lips as she did so. He remembered the feeling of being a little flustered by it but a sense of attraction. For Caitlin a memory that she forgotten for some time came back to her; the time when Everyman disguised as Barry had kissed her and that despite her smarts she fell for the trick due to some emotional tie with Barry at the time she couldn't explain whether it was romantic or not. For some time she had pushed the feeling she had when she kissed who she thought was Barry, the fluttering of butterflies in the pit of her stomach and the exhilaration she felt when it did happen, but at that moment with both of them looking into each other's eyes, so close to each other, they arms around one another, it all came back to her but this time it was actually the real Barry.

"Nice strike." Barry gave her a smile, not letting go of their current position.

"Thanks." Caitlin doing the same. Once again they had stayed longer than they intended to. When they realised it, they both practically jumped out of each other's arms and straightened their clothes, both feeling that hint of awkwardness between them. Bernie and the other contestants congratulated them and soon they decided to leave the diner, Caitlin and Barry being a hundred dollars richer than before.

"I'll see ya around Barry!" Bernie said his goodbyes from the front door.

"Thanks for the food and the cash!" Barry waved at him as he began to walk away with Caitlin.

"No problem! And Barry! Take care of that girl-friend of yours!" Bernie laughed and winked at him before going back into the restaurant. Barry shook his head but smiled as the idea him and Caitlin being something more than just friends ran through his mind.

"Well that was pretty fun! Where does our little night out take us next?" Caitlin looked up at him, wearing a bright smile, happiness visible through her eyes.  
Barry immediately mirroring her bright smile and eagerness as he responded "Karaoke bar?" he joked which earned him a little smack on his arm, to which he teased her with a sarcastic "Ow".

"Never again, karaoke, never again" She spoke holding her finger up to emphasis her now strong dislike for karaoke.

"How about the park it's just a couple of blocks away?" Barry suggested to which Caitlin agreed and so made their way to Central City Park where a Valentine's Day event was being held to their surprise.  
Surrounded by glowing white and red lights, gazebos and stalls lined with steamers, heart balloons and arches with cupid ornaments, they walked around the park and to the plaza where couples crowded playing games to win their partner prizes, eating a Valentine's Day inspired desserts and dancing in the centre where a dance floor had been set up.

"Gelato never ceases to amaze me" Caitlin smiled at him taking a large spoonful of her strawberry gelato in her mouth, humming at the rich flavour, her face lighting up as she allows it to melt in her mouth.

"I can tell." Barry laughed, his eyes pointing towards the two other empty containers in front of her.

"Don't judge me." Caitlin scrunching her nose at him her lips forming a small pout as she took another spoonful of the strawberry deliciousness into her mouth.

"At least it's better than tequila shots." Barry joked, Caitlin giggling in agreement.

"Hey guys! I'm Darren Worthy from CCPN, do you mind if I get a picture of you guys?" A young man with his camera came up to them. "Just for the article were doing on the event, please?" He added with a bright and Caitlin looked between each other and shrugged. "Sure" they both said at the same time, which made them look and smile. At the same time they heard a snapshot of the camera, surprising them.

"That was a great shot! Can I get one of you sir, feeding her a spoon of gelato?" Darren requested enthusiastically without moving from his camera from his face. Barry and Caitlin laughed it off as he scooped some of his cookies and cream gelato and holding it out for Caitlin. Caitlin leaned in, her lips arching and her mouth slightly open appearing as if she's going eat from it. "And that's awesome! Thank you guy for that and have fun for the rest of the night and maybe you'll see yourselves in the paper tomorrow!" Darren the photographer then disappeared into the crowd of couples around the stalls.

"Well that was certainly...interesting" Barry spoke as they watched the photographer disappear.

"Definitely unexpected" Caitlin responded finishing what was left of her gelato.

"Is it weird that everyone keeps thinking we're..."

"A couple?" Caitlin finished his question before he could.

"Yeah, I mean can't two single people who are friends go out for Valentine's Day just to hang out and have fun?"

"Well I guess the norm is for people to go on dates and we are at some kind of love festival, so I guess we put ourselves in that position." Caitlin explained and shortly laughed looking around the venue.

"True" Barry couldn't help but smile and agree. For a moment they didn't say anything but in both of their heads the thought of "if this was a real date what would happen" kept circling their mind. But both of them conscious about making sure they blurt out the words to avoid some form of awkwardness. In between a song they were too familiar with began to play, bringing back some fun memories.

"Oh my god" Caitlin shook her head as soon as the tune of "Summer Nights" internally face-palming, she felt her blood rushing to her cheeks as she remembered being drunk on stage with Barry that night. It only got worse for her when Barry started singing to tease her.

"Come on. Let's dance!" Barry stood up from the stool and walked to her side of the table, offering his hand for her to take with his lips arched into a smile. Caitlin was pretty sure she wasn't only blushing because of the memory of karaoke now.

She took Barry's hand and he gently led her to the dance floor where they found their space and began swaying and clicking while mouthing the lyrics that they had known too well. Dancing together, they felt like they were stress free, like there were no problems for a few minutes. And before they knew it the popular 70s musical number had ended. They had planned to sit back down but when "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" started playing and all the couples around them started slow dancing. Part of them had wanted to go back to their seats but somehow their bodies decided that they would go on and keep dancing. Barry placed his hands on Caitlin's waist as hers locked around the back of his neck, her arms resting on his shoulders. They didn't really talk when it happened, they just looked into each other's eyes and smiled and let themselves feel the music. It was a few minutes into the song when Caitlin cleared her throat.

"So is this what a date with Barry Allen would look like?" Caitlin joked clearing some tension that had built between them.

"I guess but if this was real, things might have gone a little differently" Barry rolled his eyes and answered.

"How so? Please do enlighten me Mr Allen"

"It would have been more planned. Like I probably would've brought you to somewhere fancier than a family diner with a bowling alley." Barry spoke honestly and laughed softly to let the nervousness escape him. Caitlin could tell from his eyes and the way he spoke, the smooth tone, she could hear the sincerity in it. "I would've also brought you flowers, maybe worn something a little better. I would also tell you how beautiful you look tonight, how I'm grateful to be here with you tonight, by your side." Barry finished all he had to say. Those words, he meant them all. He wasn't sure where they had come from but he knew that those words were true.

"Well if this was real, I'd tell you that this night has been amazing and that I wouldn't change one single moment of it." Caitlin replied, smiling brightly at him. And just what seemed to be a joke turned into a serious question for both of them. For the rest of the song they just danced, enjoying what would be left of that moment.  
Time passed along with a few more songs and soon they decided to go home. Barry stopped in front of Caitlin's apartment; bringing her down from flashing her home, carrying her bridal style.

"Thanks my feet were kinda tired from all that dancing." Caitlin said sheepishly.

"It's fine." He laughed his hand reaching over to the nape of his neck. He's never really felt shy about carrying Caitlin in that way; they've always done it.

"I had a lot of fun tonight and thanks for making my Valentine's Day interesting this year." She glanced at him for a moment, tonight had been better than she thought and to think she was going to spend her night alone – eating Thai food and reading her E-Book.

"I mean, you're welcome...maybe we could do this again? Except maybe we don't wait until next February to do so maybe just any normal day... for real this time." Barry blushed as he tried to get the words out, his lips curving small and shy when he did.

"I think I'd really like that." Caitlin replied happily as they fell into a brief trance looking at each other, soaking in the moment. "I should get inside it's getting late." Caitlin cleared her throat as she dug through her bag for her keys and opening her door.

"Goodnight Cait" Barry told her as she stepped into her premises and turned back to face him.

"Goodnight Barry" Caitlin got up on her toes and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, before closing and locking it behind her.  
Barry was left outside her apartment in the dimly lit hallway, smiling goofily to himself, before leaving; similarly Caitlin could help to do so either. They both don't know where this is going to lead into but that's what makes it exciting. For a long time, this idea of them had just been a thought; one that was blocked many times but now they had their chance...now it was real.

 _ **A/N: Well I really hoped you guys enjoyed that! I had a good time writing it. Make sure to tell me what you thought of it by reviewing. Once again I can't promise a new fic or one shot soon but thank you for reading this one! Until next time I guess! I'll see ya!**_


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